Tucker and Tyson Make Nice Team

Bree Tucker’s time at the University of Arkansas molded a rising star. She set out in the field of broadcast journalism, but eventually made the switch to advertising and public relations. It was a fortuitous choice.

Today she is responsible for Tyson Foods’ entire Prepared Foods business all over the world. Her responsibilities range from maintaining current business, navigating myriad regulations and participating in product innovation – which entails taste-testing. Tucker loves her job.

Everything the Hot Springs native has accomplished at Tyson is a long way from that first job: serving as a lifeguard back home. It was there that Tucker learned the importance of hard work. “We were very slimly staffed. For a while we were working seven days a week. But taking pride in setting a precedent in the quality experience people would get was a really good experience.” All that came during the summer before she began the 11th grade.

Having served as president of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, Tucker went to work for Tyson almost immediately after graduating in May 2006.

Twice she has been a marketing assistant, focusing on things like the “management and optimization” of Tyson’s frozen value-added consumer products and managing new product development for key accounts like Sam’s Club.

Helping the company identify gaps in marketing strategies, develop and launch new products, and being responsible for managing the value added product portfolio contributed to her latest promotion last December. 

Still, she is ready and willing to share credit.

“I don’t take responsibility for anything I’ve achieved,” she said. “Everything is about the people I work with.”

But what makes Tucker tick? She believes in her co-workers (“One of my biggest passions is definitely working with people”) discounts e-mail (“When there’s an opportunity to make a connection, I think that means so much”) and playing Bob Dylan on the piano for her husband despite a classical training. She’s even been skydiving. Twice.

And she loves working.

“I think it goes back to respecting my parents, who brought me up to always push myself harder,” she said. “Telling me what a great thing it is to be successful. It’s all about how you’re taught and how you’re raised.”